NEW ZEALAND TOUR 1967
LUNCHEON GIVEN BY MR. HOLYOAKE, PRIME MINISTER
OF NEW ZEALAND IN HONOUR OF MR. HOLT, PRIMS
MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA
. ELLIBTON, NE ZEALAND 3RD FE3RUaRY, 1967
Text of Speech MaJ'e by Mr. Holt
Prime Minister: thit distiguished Australian emigrant, Mr.
,; att: Your Excellencies: Mrs. Stevenson and other Parliamentary
colleagues: Ladies and Jentlemen:
First, Prime Minister and I do not know that I will go
on saying " Prime M'vinister" because I am liable to lapse into
something more familiar through force of habit, but first, Prime
IMinister may I thank you very warmly indeed on behalf of my wife
and myself for what you have said so generously and in such warm
and friendly terms about us and about the people I have at this
time the honour to lead. I stand in this room recalling memories
which do not seem all that long distant in point of recollection
although it was about 16 years ago in point of time, because my
first and only previous visit to this beautiful country of yours
was as the leader of the Australian Delegation to the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association, and I recall us having eaten in this
room and hearing oratory no less extensive than that to which you
are to be subjected here today, and I have always held very
pleasant recollections of New 2ealand from that visit. You were
kind enouh to see to it that I then was able to visit some
considerable nart of this northern island, and that is really
my justification for spending so much time in the South on this
occasion. I hope in the years t. come there will be many more
visits and that I shall see very much more of this country than
will be possible even through the length of this particular visit.
It is always good to come amongst friends, and it is even
better to come amongst friends who have common interests, common
purposes to serve, who can themselves act in a way that is
beneficial to you and give you the opportunity to act in a way
which is beneficial to them.
And I must say in passin Yr. ' att, following your
reference to trade between our two countries, that it is the desire
of my Government that any agreements we make on matters of trade
should serve not just the interests of one country, but should be
mutually beneficial for both our countries, and if you find, or if
experience proves that this is not the way the Agreement is
working out if it does not serve our common purposes as fully as
we would both hope, then you will find a helpful and constructive
Australian attitude in order to make that possible, and my
colleague, the Minister for Trade, will be over here to confer with
his opposite numoer, your Deputy Prime Minister, very shortly, and
it will be in that spirit that he will do so: and that is largely
because of the feeling that we have for each other, but it is also
attributable to the recognition that a growiig, prosperig,
developing, strengthening New Zealand is of advantage and strength
and help in promoting the prosoeritv of the country I represent.
So here is enlightened self-interes't given an opportunity to express
itself, and exoress itself in an environment of friendship and
co-operation together.
You spoke, I think, Prime Minister, of the historic fact
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that in 1901 some consideration was given to a closer union
politically-with our two countries, and there have been people
in our Parliaments since that time there may have jeen one or
two in yours: they have been less vocal so far as I have been
aware who have continued to advocate this. I view that prospect
of course with rather mixed feelins. I don't in fact regard it
as a practical prospect in the future that I can look to, because
you very properly have stressed the Few , ealand identity which
means so much to you, and your independence which means so much
to you, but I have sometimes thought of your situation and I am
speaking in particular of you, Prime Minister as oeing a very
happy and lucky one to be head of a Tovernment in a country which
has only one House of Parliament, whose Jovernment is drawn from
only one political party, and which has a unitary system of
Jovernment. Nov, I lea'd a coalition and I am on very good terms
with the members of my coalition but it is a coalition. I lead
it in a Parliament that has two Chambers and in a Federation which
has six States. Now, if there were to ue other members of that
Federation with the strength of mind and independence of spirit
that I have gathered is revealed in this country, those problems
would oe very much more complex than they are at the present time.
' hat you were saying, Mr. att, about the difficulty you have in
getting people overseas to recognise the separateness of our
countries is in one sense, I think, fortification and confirmation
of this degree of friendship that exists between us, and confirms
what you have been saying, Prime inister, that our situation is, so
far as I could ascertain it ar) und the world, unique. I don't
know any two peoples, any two independent countries, that are
closer together in appear: nce, in manner in haoits of life in
identity of interests than we find exist between Australia and
New ' ealand. And that, of course, is the -rime reason, or certainly
one of the prime reasons, of my visit here on this occasion. As
I said yesterday, I felt it Tas my first duty if I could zo abroad,
to go abroad to see our own troops serving Australia in the countries
where they were located, and this developed into something of a
South East Asian mission in the result, oecause these became
formal visits, although the original purpose was for me to make
contact with our own people and have them feel how proud we were
of them how grateful we were for the services they were rendering
us and the common cause of freedom. And then, of course there
was the conference of Prime Ministers the need to establish early
contact with those two great leaders who mean so much to both
our countries, President Johnson and Prime Minister J'ilson. You and
I were together then, later at the Prime Ministers' Conference, and
then the quite historic vanila Conference, the fruits of which we
expect to see of benefit certainly to this area of the world and
to the free world as a whole as the years go on. 3ut when I was
planning the tasks ahead for 1967, having got the election out of
the way, the first priority on my list was to make contact with
my friends here in I2ew Zealand and I am very glad that this has
been possible and you were so kind as to open That invitation up
to me. I spoke of our similarities. You chose to find some distinctions
between us in our manner of speech, and I suppose that is so. l. e
Australians are far less conscious of the fact that we have a
different and not particularly attractive national accentuation
which is observaole to others but which so frequently passes us
unobserved amongst ourselves. I had early evidence of that when
I went on my first visit to the United Kingdom again with a
Parliamentary Delegation, the C. of those aays, in 1948, and on
my first night at the Savoy I asked for a whisky and soda. The
waiter brought along a mixture which, while interestin in
appearance, didn't seem quite to suggest the specification I had
proposed. I tasted it. It was very a-reeable, but certainly was
not what I had requested. So I said, Hey, what's this you've
brought me". " vhat you asked for, Sir, a whisky cider". I am
quite certain that Keith would have no such trouble with the A. B. C.
or B. i. C. accents that we hear so effectively from him.
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Right Hon. Keith Holyoake Mine's a whisky and water.
Right Hon. Harold Holt . ell, he is safer with whisky and
waer perhaps, but if he ever did ask for a whiskv and soda
he would get it in ample measure and correctly to specifications.
There is one matter which does not seem to ha've altered much.
Perhaps I should hesitate to mention it. '., hen I was in this
room before, I seem to recall explaining to us then that this
really was not ty ical of " ellington weather and that the tood
weather would fo low later. _ ell, I have no problems on tiat
score. Coming from Australia, any rain is welcome. ,. hen I was
asked what I Thought about the climate this morning as we went
to the . ar Memorial, I said " I only wish I could transfer some of
this rain across to my own arid continent." This perhaps has
some bearing, lr. Watt, on what you were saying aoout how this
Trade Agreement was working out. I don't want to harp on this
thing, but I would like you to have this special factor in mind.
1ie have just oeen coming out and these processes of full
restoration are not always speedy from what has proved to be
one of the most serious droughts in part of Australia that we
have ever experienced. It intrigues me that when some other
country has fire, or flood, or some other natural disaster, the
word goes out around the world and the hat goes round to well
disposed countries, and wie are all hanpy to help a nei huour in
distress. 7ell, I don't say that we have been in all that distress,
but nooody seems to see drought in quite the same light, and yet
in our country drought can have consequences far more serious
financially and in relation to the smooth running of the economy
than any of these natural disasters elsewhere. I illustrate this
for you by pointing out that in this most recent drought we lost
14,000,000 sheep, and in the State of New South ales we lost
per cent of the cattle population of that State. Io'. the economy
went on. Some people seem surprised and disappointed that it did
not make the same rate of progress that we had made in more
favourable years. I think we did very well to keep the economy
running along as successfully as we d'id despite these great
national and natural losses. but I do think thAt this as had
some bearing upon the buoyancy of trade between our countries
and I hope tha with more fav') uraole conditions now restored there
should be some improvement in that respect.
You have referred Prime aanidr ' Mri. s t. eart t echoed this
that we have a great deal in common and we have many mutual interests
to serve. really are a very fortunate set of pebbles in these
two countries. . V'e h ve Joth been the inheritors of that splendid
British tradition of democratic institutions and Parliamentary
Jovernment and the acceptance of the principles of freedom and
justice, the dignity and individual liberties of our citizens. This
itself was a great heritage, and we have ueen the inheritors together
of a rich European culture which we have oeen able to apply to the
circumstances of these countries " Down Under". And we have been
favoured oy resources which have enabled each of us to build up a
standard of livin. r which ranks amongst the highest to be found
anywhere around the world. Despite our short'histories, ; e have
built these standards and that of course has a Dearing upon our
significance, certainly in this region of the world, and in the
world at large. You feel nerhaps even more acutel: than , e do the
fact that in terms of nopulation we are small coun'tries in the
world scene. : e are still pushing on to our first 12,000,000: you
are moving on, I gather, to your third million. But we would be
treating ourselves with less than the significance that is due to
us if we were simply to look at this matler in terras of population.
First of all there is the well known fact that great countries
are the countries which produce great men. They are not to oe
counted in heads of population. They are to oe counted in the
quality of the people that they produce and lew; Zealand need bow
its head to no country in the quality of the people it produces and
the contribution which these people have made to the world in many
fields of science of culture, of endeavour. You have produced your
Rutherfords, your ellers, your Hillary9, * and scores of others
whom if time permitted me I could mention, and we, your closest / 4
friends, your allies, and your partners salute a great people
here in New Zealand.
But the other thing is that you and we by virtue of the
capacity we have shown to increase the nroduction of our countries,
do have a rating internationally out of all proportion to our
numbers, and I can illustrate this for you 1 think, quite simply
in this fashion. Let us take India and Indonesia for my first two
examples. Indonesia has just on nine times the population of
Australia. It has one-third the value of gross national product
of Australia. India, with 42 times the population of Australia, has
just about double the value of gross national product of my country,
and you can translate these illustrations into New Zealand terms.
You can see that when you have only got somethin under 12,000,000
people but you rank with one of the highest standards of living in
the world and you rank amongst the first 10 or 12 trading nations of
the world, then you do possess a significance out of all relation to
your numbers. But the matter goes even deeper than that. It is my
firm belief that if your country and mine together are to have a
greatness of destiny in the not too distant future I am not speaking
of any point of time close ahead or even in our lifetimes, but in
historical terms, in not too distant a future it will be because of
the influence, the assistance the encouragement and the example
that to ether we have been able to exert in relation to the area in
the world in which we live, and in particular in South East Asia and
the Pacific region, and we do have an influence beyond all
relationship to our numoers. I know that your views are welcomed and
respected by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the President
of the United States. In my first week of office, I was invited
both by the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of
. reat Britain to continue the personal and intimate correspondence
with them which they had developed with my distinguished predecessor.
ow, Sir Robert was, as you know a man of international stature,
and he was so reco'nised around the world and one could understand
the great men of other countries seeking nis views and respecting them,
out when they put that same invitation to a fledglin-Prime Minister
little known outside his own country and only recently confirmed in
office I think that established that it was the views of the
Australian people that they were anxious to have, the judgment of an
Australian Jovernment, a judgment and view which would oe expressed
frankly, honestly, forthrighlly, and with every intention to help in
finding solutions which were acceptable to us all. This happens to
us, it happens to you, and we are so placed by Providence in this
area of the world and with our oackground of democratic traditions
and with our high standards of economic achievement to be able to
help people in This part of the world. And we are finding, as I am sure
you are finding, that increasingl our advice is jeing sought by the
countries of the regrion. . e don' have to muscle our way into
institutions like the Asian and South Pacific Association of
Countries, or the Asian Development Jank, or other organisations of
that sort. We are sought quite eagerly, we are welcomed
fullheartedly, and we know that we have a contribution there which we
can make. Australia and New Zealand, because of all these things which
lie open to us because in the Commonwealth of Nations, this Lreat
multiracial gathering , jwhich becomes more complex and difficult to
hold together as the additions are made to its numaers, you and we
think so much alike about the problems that arise there that our
joint strength can make a significant contribution there. And so it
goes around the world where we meet together for these international
purposes. We have a common interest in helping to build satisfactory
trading arrangements so that the nrimary products of our two countries
can be marketed on the basis of a reasonaole return to the producer
and in an orderly way, avoiding, if we can or as far as i'e can not
the hazards of the season only Providence can lQok after that for
us, and we must as realists accept the fact that there will be these
fluctuations but avoiding as far as it is humanly practicable to
so organise matters, these sharp fluctuations on world markets for
primary staples, so as to avoid all those dislocations which occur
in our economic circumstances. In these, in so many ways, we have
common interests to serve. In this area of the world we can make
a' joint contribution to security, as we do through the Commonwealth
Strategic Reserve as we are doing in our joint contributions in
the conflict in Viet Ham looking like you, not as people who seek
the field of wr because of an appetite for conflict but searching
for a just and endurin; peace which will enable us all to get on with
the . ob of building a better world order in the countries of Asia.
So that there is every good reason, apart from kinship, apart from
natural identity of habit of life and attitude of mind, for us to
remain close together in relation to these common purposes. And a
visit of this kind and visits of your people back to us, not merely
Prime Ministers but others, can help to serve those purposes. I
would mention Mr. i. att, that we have tried to assist this in
another direction in my country uy making one of the perquisites of
the Member of Parliament a journey to New Zealand at dovernment
expense if he will choose to make that journey. This is the only
country outside of the territories under our own immediate control
to which we extend this privilege. Someone rather unkindly suggested
this morning to me," ell, this looks as if we were regarding New
Zealand as one of our own territories," to which I could only answer
you can't win: that's clear." Aut I had hoped it would be
seen as another manifestation of our intimacy, of our friendship,
and of our recognition that we do have so many common interests
to serve. Now, Prime Minister, as you krow, there were two gestures
I wish to make but just before I come to that, which is the
concluding part of what I want to say, let me make a special
reference to tourism, because you will recall I said something
on this in the course of our discussions here together this
morning. I believe that both our countries have a great deal to
offer to the tourist from other parts of the world. You have long
had a Minister of Tourism, and you have lon had a highly
successful tourist traffic. . e have had, of course some and it
has been rowing quite steadily. hen I reconstructed my own
3overnmen recently, I appointed a young and promising 1inister to
look after this special field under the general supervision of the
Minister for Trade my Deputy Prime Minister, and the Minister
for the Navy, Mr. Don Chipp as nart of his ministerial duties is
now Minister in Charge of Tourist Activities. But thinking about
this without any special knowlede of what is now being done and
something of this may already be done it did seem to me that
we could help each other in this direction if we used our own
facilities and our own resources to encourage the tourist to each
of our countries to include a visit to the other country as part
of the tour. The American who comes here might beencouraged to
go on to Australia rather than back to Honolulu. The Asian who
comes down to us as the nearest point for him or for her might be
encouraged to see something of the beauties of New Zealand. I am
sure there is room for some fruitful co-operation in this particular
field. I have raised it with your Prime minister and his Cabinet,
and I hope that this matter can be followed up quite fruitfully.
I was thinking, Prime Minister, of what little gesture I
could make as a guest, with my wife and my party on your shores,
to express the good will and the friendship symbolically of the
Australian people for your own and one thing which came to mind
was that I might be permitted to make a gift to the Jovernment
and people of two pictures quite large pictures. One of them
is a picture which has a strong historical association with your
country. Indeed, I believe it was on loan to New Zealand over the
period of The Queen's visit here and that is the picture drawn in
chalks of the murder of Marian Dufresne back in 1770 or thereabouts
a picture by Meriam. Some of you who saw it when it was over may
recall it. It seemed to us that this was a part of your history
and that this could be back with you in New wealand.. But to balance
things out a bit, I thought you should also have an example from one
of our most distinguished of the younger school of Australian painters,
Sidney Nolan, who now, of course, has an international reputation / 6
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and almost an international price I mi. ht add a picture of the
Kimberleys. in Australia. This will endure as your history endures.
I* hope for Sidney Nolan's sake his work endures and also to make
the gift more en uring I hope you, Prime Minister, will accept
these from us as a sym6ol of the good will and affection of the
Australian people.
The other matter which seemed to me to be worth discussing
with you arose partly from the fact that as I knew I was coming
here I devoted more time, I suppose in seven days, to a study of
New Zealand, its climate, its geography, its economy, and its people
than I had in the previous 30 years of puolic life, and I found
many things in my reading and in discussion about your country with
which I was not familiar, and indeed of which I had been previously
ignorant and it pointed up t> me really how much better we do
need to know each other, having so much', as I have said earlier,
in common. . h-it you said, Mr. . att, about more space being occupied
in the Australian Press by news from New Zealand struck a responsive
chord with me, and I would willingly surrender a good deal of
editorial space in my own country to you for that purpose. But
quite seriously I think that, too, is a matter which the press of
my country mi. ht very well examine, and I shall look for an
opportunity o? raising that matter with them. But this being the
case, I thought " I: ow what way is there that we could encourage a
better knowledge" and I thought we might make a quite modest
commencement on this out one which I felt confident would appeal
to your Frime Minister and his colleagues, and I have suggested
that we invite to Australia under a system of scholarships, if
you could call it that, each year, two New Zealanders to oe selected
appropriately by representative peonle a man and a woman: I am
sufficiently conscious of the vote of the ladies in my State, Lirs.
Stevenson, to see that we deal evenly on this to come to
Australia for, say, 12 months, if that seemed an appropriate
length of time, to have some study perha:-s at the Australian
National University, of our history, our economy and our institutions,
but also to spend a -ood deal of their time going around Australia,
no matter how remotev they may wish to proceed, and there to see
some of our institutions in operation to see some of our develorment
projects as they come to fruition and to return to New Zealand
perhaps to go into public administration, the Department of External
Affairs, the field of journalism, or the teaching profession,
somewhere preferably where the knowledge that they had absorued
could be passed on to their fellow New Zealanders. I would like to
call them Anzac Scholars, because the Anzac spirit is still strong
in the hearts and minds of our people. 17e do have a National Day
on 26th January, but there is no day in the Australian Calendar
celebrated with more solemnity and with due observance than this
dav which commemorates the forging of that wonderful tradition
between our two countries and if it did not seem inappronriate
perhaps they could be called Anzac Scholars, but the name is less
important than the fact. I mentioned this matter to your Cabinet
this morning. I am lad to say that the suggestion was warmly
received, and if it has the approval of your Jovernment I shall see
that effect is given to it.
So Mrs. Stevenson and Jentlemen, here we are bound together by
inheritance of institutions, traditions, democratic practices,
cultures, by the geography in which we find ourselves, inspired
and stimulated togetier by the possibi. lities tht lie open to us
for positive and constructive achievement in this area of the world
in which we live, and while these things persist and they must
persist as long as our independence en ures for our two countries
then who can douot the strength and wa. rmth of the friendship between
the people of New Zealand nd Australia. And if in my term of
office as Prime Minister of my country I can do anything to serve
that friendship and to strengthen the ties between us, you can
confidently rely upon this being my purpose. / 7
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Concluding Remarks by Mr. Holvoake
' ell I'm sure you would all like me to say how much we have
enjoyed that comprehensive and quite inspiring address from our
Guest of Honour. I am sure you will also oe pleased to know that
our Cabinet has already approved in principle of the two proposals,
both imaginative, that Mr. Holt has himself produced the question
of co-operation in the tourist industry, and reciprocity in Anzac
scholarships have approved this princinle and we will certainly
follow it up. Thank you for all these things that you have said to
us Harold. Now of course the occasion is for giving gifts, and on behalf
of the Jovernment and the people of New Zealand I want also to make
a ift to the Prime Mlinister of Australia. I decided upon this gift
oe ore I knew of the munificence and the imagination behind the two
gifts which he has made. Those pictures are really priceless, they
are invaluable. To add to the ma. nificence of the gift, the
Firestone, the Maori picture I have forgotten the name now it
was until now part of a very valued collection in Australia. It is
not just an odd picture they have picked up somewhere. It is part
of their own collection, and so it is of tremendous significance that
Mr. Holt should say today " It is a part of our collection but we
th -ught rightly it beloned in New Zealand" and he is giving it
to our nation. I am quite sure that our National Art allerv or
wherever it is decided that it shall repose, will be delighted and
excited, and so will all the people of New Zealand, about both of
these pictures. Also the paintin oby Nolan. I have not had a
close study. I have asked that they should be displayed along a
table somewhere. I understand they are just outside: if you wish
to have a closer study they will be there.
Now the gift I propose it will not oe displayed right now,
but here is a copy of it. Some of you will have seen it, most of
you will have heard of it. This is a publication by one of our
noted publishing firms, A. I. Reed entitled " The New Zealanders",
an exact copy or the Folio which Her 1ajesty The Queen gave to
us as her Yift to the New Zealand Nation when she was last here in
New Zealand the original from the library of ' indsor Castle from
amongst her Collection. She thought this wis something we would
like, and we treasure it, of course. A. H. Reed have made an exact
copy of this. It is a beautiful piece of work: we think so anyway:
and I am asking Harold Holt to take this back as a very humble gift
compared with this gift to the people of ZZeeawl and to their
collection of New Zealand treasures in Australia. It is a collection
of prints by George Angus. They were made in 1846 or around that
time. They were given to Her Lajesty The Queen. They really were
in the first place I think it is shown in the script in the Folio
dedicated to His Royal Highness Prince Albert at that time. It is
quite a treasure, and I would ask you Harold, to accept this rather
humble gift, alongside yours, as a token of our esteem for you and
the people of Australia', and also as a mark of our deep appreciation
of your visit to our country so early in your long tenure of office
of Prime Minister. 7 Y